California redistricting hearing turns heated as Republicans mount
opposition campaign
[August 20, 2025]
By TRÂN NGUYỄN and JIM VERTUNO
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A California legislative hearing turned into a
shouting match Tuesday as a Republican lawmaker clashed with Democrats
over a partisan plan to rewrite U.S. House maps to win Democrats more
seats.
A committee voted along party lines to advance a new congressional map
in response to a Republican redistricting effort in Texas that President
Donald Trump wants. California Democrats do not need any Republican
votes to move ahead.
Assemblymember David Tangipa, one of two Republicans on the committee
that was considering the proposal Tuesday, spent 30 minutes asking
questions of his colleagues before being told to make time for other
members, prompting some boos from audience members. When the committee
began voting, he shouted for more time.
At times during the hearing, lawmakers interrupted one another until the
chair, a Democrat, called for order.
“This is not the way we conduct our hearing,” Assemblymember Gail
Pellerin, who chairs the committee, said as she called for order several
times after hours of discussion.
Tangipa argued that California should spend its resources on other
issues such as health care. Lawmakers are expected to schedule a Nov. 4
special election to put the new maps before voters, and they haven't
revealed a cost estimate for the unexpected election. California
Republicans estimated a special election could cost more than $230
million.
“I’m asking how much this costs because the state is in a massive
deficit and it’s so personal to me,” Tangipa said after the vote. He
said his stepsister died a few weeks ago after a Medicaid provider
refused to sign off on services she needed.
California begins voting on proposed congressional map
Tuesday's hearings were the first chance for California residents to
tell lawmakers how they feel about the new congressional boundaries. A
hearing in the Senate was far calmer, and the proposal passed easily.
California Democrats said they are pushing back against Trump and his
desire to reshape U.S. House maps to his advantage in an expanding fight
over control of Congress ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The
California Legislature is expected to approve a proposed congressional
map and declare a Nov. 4 special election by Thursday to get required
voter approval.
In Texas, state Rep. Nicole Collier stayed at the Capitol overnight and
into Tuesday to protest a Republican requirement that she and some of
her Democratic colleagues have around-the-clock law enforcement
surveillance after they ended a two-week walkout that delayed a vote on
the Trump-backed map.
On Tuesday, eight other Texas Democrats said they'll join Collier in
spending the night on the House floor.
State Department of Public Safety officers are shadowing the lawmakers
to ensure they return to the Capitol and do not leave Texas again. To
leave the House floor Monday, the Democrats had to sign what they called
“permission slips” agreeing to the surveillance.
Texas' Republican-controlled House scheduled a vote for Wednesday on the
new map.
California Republicans mount an opposition campaign
Dozens of residents from up and down the state, leaders of local
Republican groups and the conservative California Family Council showed
up to a hearing Tuesday to voice opposition to Democrats' plan.
Some said the process has been shrouded in secrecy because the map was
drawn without meaningful public input. Others said they would rather
lawmakers focus on addressing issues instead of trying to bypass a
bipartisan redistricting process.
[to top of second column]
|
Assembly Republican leader James Gallagher speaks in opposition to
Democrats' plan to advance a partisan effort to redraw California
congressional map at a press conference on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, in
Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Tran Nguyen)
“There’s different needs and different requirements for everybody,”
Jim Shoemaker, a Republican running for Congress in a district south
of Sacramento, said in an interview. “But if you have somebody that
just has a little portion of an area, they’re not going to represent
the people the way they should because they’re looking at the wrong
thing.”
Labor union members and several key Democratic political allies said
the partisan plan is needed to protect democracy and to fight back
the president’s aggressive agenda.
Public remarks may have little sway, though, as Democratic leaders
are determined to rapidly advance the proposal.
Some Republican lawmakers filed an emergency petition with the state
Supreme Court arguing Democrats are violating the state
constitution. They assert that lawmakers can’t vote this week
because the constitution requires new legislation to have a 30-day
wait for public review.
Democrats hold 43 out of California’s 52 U.S. House seats and want
to win five more. The proposal would try to expand that advantage by
targeting battleground districts in Northern California, San Diego
and Orange counties, and the Central Valley. Some Democratic
incumbents also get more left-leaning voters in their districts.
Texas Democrats have police escorts
In Texas, Republican legislative leaders assigned state troopers to
watch their Democratic colleagues and ensure they don't flee the
state again, as they did recently to block a vote on new maps.
Suburban Dallas Rep. Mihaela Plesa said one followed her on her
Monday evening drive back to her apartment in Austin after spending
much of the day on a couch in her office. She said he went with her
for a staff lunch and even down the hallway with her for restroom
breaks.
“This is a waste of taxpayer dollars and really performative
theater," Plesa said in a telephone interview.
A message seeking comment was sent Tuesday to the Department of
Public Safety.
A national brawl unfolding
Redistricting typically occurs once at the beginning of each decade
after the census. But Trump is looking to use mid-decade
redistricting to shore up Republicans’ narrow House majority and
avoid a repeat of the midterms during his first presidency. After
gaining House control in 2018, Democrats used their majority to
stymie his agenda and twice impeach him.
Nationally, the partisan makeup of existing district lines puts
Democrats within three seats of a majority. Of the 435 total House
seats, several dozen districts are competitive, so even slight
changes in a few states could affect which party wins control.
___
Vertuno reported from Austin, Texas. Associated Press writer Sophie
Austin in Sacramento and John Hanna from Topeka, Kansas contributed
to this report.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
